The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails album)
The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. Released on March 8th, 1994, by Nothing Records and Interscope Records in the United States and by Island Records in Europe. This concept album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Mark "Flood" Ellis. Track Listing All tracks written by Trent Reznor. Personnel Composers * Trent Reznor - vocals, all instruments, drums (on "Piggy"), arranger, producer *Mark "Flood" Ellis - producer, hi-hat (on "Closer"), APR 2600 synthesizer (on "The Becoming") *Chris Vrenna - drums (on "Hurt"), programming, sampling, additional drums (on "Burn") *Adrian Belew - texture generating guitar (on "Mr. Self Destruct"), ring mod guitar (on "The Becoming") *Danny Lohner - additional guitar (on "Big Man with a Gun") *Andy Kubiszewski - drums (on "The Downward Spiral") *Stephen Perkins - drum loops (on "I Do Not Want This") Production *Charlie Clouser - programming, continuity *John Aguto, Brian Pollack - engineers *Sean Beavan, Bill Kennedy, Alan Moulder - mixing *Tom Baker - mastering *Bob Ludwig - high-resolution mastering (reissue) *James Brown - 5.1 mix (reissue) *Neal Ferrazzani - assistance (reissue) *Russell Mills – paintings *David Buckland – photography *Gary Talpas - package *Rob Sheridan - package, additional photography (reissue) Why It Rocks #It is by far, one of the darkest and most beloved concept albums in rock history besides Pink Floyd's The Wall. #Great vocals, specially by frontman Trent Reznor. #Good number of tracks (14), detailing the main protagonist's downfall and eventual suicide attempt. Don't forget the other tracks "March Of The Pigs" and "Closer". #"Hurt", the closing track of the album is well adored by the fanbase and listeners alike. Also, it recieved a cover made by the late Johnny Cash, in which Trent claimed that "the song is no longer mine" as a sign of respect. #The cover art, "Wound" by the British artist Russell Mills is well made and very fitting for the album's theme. #The Deluxe Edition of the album adds bonus tracks such as "Burn", "Closer To God", "Dead Souls" and a cover of Soft Cell's "Memorabilia". Bad Qualities #Despite having good songs, some of them including the title track feel rather dated. #One of the tracks, "Big Man With A Gun" brought a major controversy surrounding the album, despite Trent himself admitted that the song is a parody of "the whole misogynistic Gangsta Rap bullsh*t". Reception Many music critics and audiences praised The Downward Spiral for its abrasive, eclectic nature and dark themes and commented on the concept of a destruction of a man. The New York Times writer Jon Pareles' review of the album found the music to be highly abrasive. Pareles asserted that unlike other electro-industrial groups like Ministry and Nitzer Ebb, "Reznor writes full-fledged tunes" with stronger use of melodies than riffs. He noticed criticisms of Nine Inch Nails from industrial purists for popularizing the genre and the album's transgression. Robert Christgau gave the album an honorable mention () rating and commented that, musically, the album was comparable to "Hieronymus Bosch as postindustrial atheist", but lyrically more closely resembled "Transformers as kiddie porn." Jonathan Gold, writing for Rolling Stone, likened the album to cyberpunk fiction. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Tom Sinclair commented: "Reznor's pet topics (sex, power, S&M, hatred, transcendence) are all here, wrapped in hooks that hit your psyche with the force of a blowtorch." Cover Version *"Hurt" by Johnny Cash, from the 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around. Chart Performance Certifications * Australia (ARIA): Gold - 35,000 * Canada (Music Canada): 3x Platinum - 300,00 * United Kingdom (BPI): Gold - 100,000 * United States (RIAA): 4x Platinum - 3,700,000 Trivia *The album was infamously recorded on in a home studio that Trent Reznor had built at 10050 Cielo Drive, dubbed by him as "Le Pig", where the Charles Manson "family" performed the Tate murders in 1969. (He ended up being the house's final resident, as he left at the end of 1993, taking only the front door to install at his new studio, and the house was demolished the year after.) External Links Category:Albums Category:Nine Inch Nails Category:Industrial rock Category:1990s